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RESPITE WATERFALL - ENVER'S CAMP - EARLY MORNING
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Teis approaches Enver's camp, having only recently been made aware of any unrest in the town at all. Perhaps a bit worried, though also finding herself with time off due to critical supplies for her work being low, Teis takes the time to visit Enver. She'd never intended to ask Enver to stay at the estate, for all the complicated social reasons that brings with it, but. . . "Enver? Are you here?" Teis calls out.
Enver is still half-asleep. The morning birdsong having half-roused him but but not quite woken him up yet. There's no direct reply, though maybe a bit of movement inside his tent from what Teis can see.
Teis continues to slowly and carefully approach, not particularly wanting to spook Enver. She spots the movement, so at least she knows that someone is here at least. She clicks her fingers and points to the zip on the tent, unzipping it partially while simultaneously crouching down to see through the small gap she unzips.
Enver mumbles something at the sound of the zippers unfastening and finally wakes up a bit more. "Huh? Who is it?"
Teis: "Hey, just me." Teis replies quietly, unzipping the tent just enough such that Teis can crawl inside, zipping it back up behind her. She gently cuddles up to Enver, not wanting to impact his waking brain with her usual high energy.
Enver hugs up to Teis and smiles. "Oh, hey you..." His body relaxes a bit as he gives a big yawn. "What are you doing out here? You're usually in the lab at this hour, right? Or asleep?"
Teis: "Normally, yeah, but. . .Any official work is pretty much on hold for the moment unless it's absolutely critical. . .Because, of. Well, if you've heard about the caravan. . ." Teis sighs. "So, yeah. I've got spare time."
Enver cocks his head. "Huh? Oh, the one that ran into bandits?" He sits up and hugs Teis more properly. "I heard it was bad, but it's one caravan..."
Teis: "I, uh. . ." Teis glances away somewhat. ". . .Didn't want to be disrespectful to those that lost their life by saying the caravan also had important supplies for the lab." Teis sighs. "That's, um. I actually. . .Wanted to talk to you about that. Apparently things are getting pretty serious? I'm worried about you."
Enver leans down to kiss the top of the cat's head. "Serious? Like how serious?"
Teis: "I. . .Don't know. I only just heard about it all, but. . .Apparently they're asking people to come inside the walls. And walking from town to here. . .I don't know. The Aether itself makes me. . .Uneasy." Teis skews her lip.
Enver ponders this as he shifts in the tent and starts pulling on a shirt. "Right... so you think I should break camp here? Where will I sleep, though?"
Teis: "I. . .I'd like you to, I guess. I just, don't want to take any chances with you? And given the circumstances, I'm sure Della'd allow you to move into the estate. . ."
Enver nods. "All right. I don't want to cause problems for her though..." He yawns again and moves over to the flap, unzipping it and poking his head out for some fresh air. "Right... so uh... I kind of smell right now... I was planning to bathe this morning, but I guess if it's dangerous I could do that at your place?" He blushes a bit.
Teis rolls herself out of Enver's way onto her back, looking up at Enver. "I don't know how dangerous it is. I'm sure you'd be fine if you're more comfortable bathing here this morning. . .I get that this is a sudden request. News was sudden for me also."
Enver smiles at Teis. "Uh, okay. You can keep watch for me, then?" He clambers to his feet and heads to the edge of the waterfall's splash pool.
Teis sits up, then moves to stand and follow Enver. "I'd love to watch you." She hotly blushes, stops in her tracks, immediately attempting to correct herself. "I-I-I mean KEEP watch for you!" She looks down and to the side, embarrassed.
Enver strips out of his shirt and smallclothes and slips into the brisk water, shivering a little as he adapts the cool temperature.
Teis shuffles a bit closer to the water's edge, looking over Enver. Perhaps counter-intuitively, her embarrassment causes her to look over Enver's form even more than she'd otherwise do, since now she's thinking about it instead of simply being indifferent to it.
Enver dunks his head under the water then moves to the shallows to scrub at his fur with his claws, trying to wash out a few days of sweat and grime.
Teis continues to both watch and watch over Enver while he bathes, slowly coming to terms with her thoughts and feelings regarding Enver during this time. Once Enver has left the river, and presumably packed his things, she would help Enver carry his belongings to the estate, greeting Jax at the gate and being let through.
Enver follows along with Teis, still feeling a bit embarassed at having to take refuge here. "So uh... how long do they think this is going to last?"
Teis: "I, um. I don't know. I'm hoping it isn't too long though. As much as I want the break, I don't want to. . .Lose my routine entirely and not feel like working again. Don't. . .Really want to have those fights with Della all over again." She replies, then begins to mumble, "That and, well. . .If it's longer, then that would mean more loss of life, so that's. . .Not great. . ."
Enver nods in agreement. "Right... well at least I have my own room so I'll be out of your fur some of the time..."
Teis nods. "Yeah. Or if you need to be out of mine. At the very least, we can. . .Use this as an opportunity to see if we can handle living together?" Teis suggests.
Enver blushes hotly at that idea. "Uh, yeah... I guess so. I mean... uh... sure." He doesn't really have the words to express what he's feeling, but there's a smile on his face. The pair soon arrive at the wing of the house where both of their rooms are. "I guess if I'm living here for a bit, someone should explain more about how the place works... just so I don't make like, more mistakes?"
Teis finds the smile infectious, smiling back at Enver. ". . .What do you mean, more mistakes? I, um. Yeah, there's not really much to say, I guess. . .Just, if you need something, you can ask any of the staff? I'll let them know that you're living here temporarily at the least."
Enver nods a bit. "Right just... I don't know where everything is, where I'm allowed to go or not, that sort of thing. I don't want to wander into somewhere I shouldn't be, basically." He sets down his bag and hugs Teis warmly. "But that can all wait a bit. It means a lot that you care enough to look out for me like this..."
Teis: "Oh, um. I guess Della'd be the better person to ask about that? Stay out of the basement is pretty much the only thing off the top of my head. . .Oh, and Rondelethia's room. . .I guess the staff rooms. . ." Teis hums, stopping when she's hugged. She hugs Enver back. "Of course, Enver. I, um. . ." She pauses.
Enver looks down at Teis, nodding along with her instructions as he files away the information. "You what, Teis?"
Teis: "I. . .Uh. Just, I don't really know what love is? I just. . .I feel it's appropriate to say that I love you." Teis replies, glancing up at Enver. "Is it. . .Too early? Is this what it feels like?"
Enver cocks his head and just smiles. "I don't know either, but I feel the same. This can be love for now. Maybe it won't be forever, but it's more than enough for now." He hugs her close and nuzzles into the fur atop her head again.
Teis: "Yeah. . .That works. . ." Teis nuzzles herself into Enver's collarbone, starting to purr.
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RESPITE BARRACKS - CAPTAIN'S OFFICE
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Dorri sits waiting in front of Louma's desk, having already been here for over an hour, and having had to wait literal days to even get a chance to speak with someone in charge about this. Still, this was important, and the situation was grave, so the markhor had taken it all in stride and bided her time until now.
Nesseth comes into the office, having been apparently unknowingly chosen as the one to act in Louma's stead while she's missing. He's carrying a small stack of papers, but blinks as he notices someone already sitting in the seat opposite Louma's chair, already waiting. "Oh, uh... Dorri? What brings you here?"
Dorri smiles at Nesseth. "Oh, hello Nesseth. I'm waiting for the captain. I wanted to offer my services to the search effort." Her tone is conversational, clearly thinking of the exchange as chit chat and not the actual talk she came here for.
Nesseth pauses as he closes the door, then sighs as he goes around to the other side of the table and sets the papers down. After a few moments of hesitation, he slides the rarely-used seat on Louma's side of the table over and settles into it. "Right... your observatory. I know your telescopes are used primarily for mapping the stars, but the height alone would let us see far with some basic gear."
Dorri blinks at Nesseth. "Oh, does the captain not have time to see me personally?" She straightens up a bit and pulls a few maps out of her satchel. "Exactly that... with a few basic spyglasses to get initial bearings, we can use the telescopes to see more detail..." She unrolls what seems to be a topographical map of the area around the town, up to her mountain. Some long arcs are drawn on the paper, indicating radii of various distances from the observatory.
Nesseth shakes his head. "Er... unfortunately, Louma's completely unavailable. She's missing." He pauses, shifting a little uncomfortably as he lets the detail sink in, though he does lean in to look at the maps, "And she apparently had me as the next in line in case something happened to her."
Dorri grits her teeth a bit at the news and just gives a nod. "Right then, moving on... I'm going to be well enough provisioned up there once I'm back, so if you gave me a few hardy and observant guards to help out, we can make observations from there and send the reports down to you or whoever else in the field as needed."
Nesseth nods as he tries to move on from all the stuff him apparently being second in line entails and instead focus on the matter at hand. "The guards are all active and preparing for whatever might come our way, but I've a few scouts and similar that could fit the bill to help you scan the lands and make reports. They'll also function as your defenders if anything tries attacking the observatory." He sighs a bit, "From the ferocity of the attack on that caravan, we've already begun encouraging folks at the outlying farms to temporarily come into the walls for their safety, but having an outpost to scan for trouble would help a lot."
Dorri smiles. "I can make the easy passes up less easy once we're there, too. I would appreciate someone who knows their way around a weapon or two just in case."
Nesseth nods. "All of the guards are trained with their preferred weapons, usually spears or shortswords. The scouts I've got in mind generally travel light, but they're still hardy and able to assist with anything you need done." He pauses, smiling a bit, "And... well, they're not unruly, but feel free to tell them I've given you command over them if they cause any problems. That'll bring them in line really fast."
Dorri grins a bit dangerously. "Right... so communication..." She goes on to start talking about the sending spell that Aurelius taught her and how to create pairs of linked books and the like.
Nesseth hums as he listens to Dorri's explanation, the details of which kind of go over his head outside of it being a quick way to communicate. "I'll have to ask around the guards to see if anyone has any knowledge of this stuff. I'm afraid I don't have any magic at all, so I can't do much, myself."
Dorri frowns a bit. "Right... it's the most important piece, though, otherwise it's just me and some strangers up in a tower watching the town get attacked..."
Nesseth nods. "It's an important piece, but we don't really screen soldiers for magical capabilities. We've got other forms of communication that everyone can use readily, but something faster would help a lot. Still, I'll have to take a bit of time to see if anyone has the knowledge for this, both for the tower and here in town."
Dorri continues chatting with Nesseth about the capabilities of the telescopes and the two begin sketching out locations onto the map to show where various events have happened. Over the next hour or so, something resembling an idea of a plan is put into place and the two go away from the meeting both feeling more confident about the whole idea.
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A CAVE SOMEWHERE NORTH WEST OF RESPITE - EVENING
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Narrator: The camp is a flurry of activity as the dinos make the final preparations for their raid. Scouts have been keeping an eye on Respite, tightening closer to the farms while ensuring that no advance word reaches the wall. A few overzealous hunters have already dragged in prisoners who had detected them, or the odd stray wagon or carriage which stumbled to close to the staging grounds. There's not as many prisoners as there was after that first Caravan attack this time, but they're clearly ready for more, as Emmeline would awaken to find herself with hands bound and under guard.
Emmeline slowly comes too, feeling sore and parched and very uncomfortable. The last thing she remembers, the carriage driver was shouting something and then everything start lurching and spinning. She groans drily and tries to open her eyes, having no idea where she might be.
Usid himself is checking everything, keeping discipline with threats as he awaits the final signal to begin their attack. The short raptor is only about four feet tall when not atop his mount, but he radiates malice, the bone armor he wears cracked and coated in blood-like war paint. He walks towards to the holding pen where the new batch of prisoners are being kept, and talks to the guards, unfortunate soldiers who will not ride with the raid, speaking... not quite so quietly as he addresses them, "Your chances at glory shall come. Yzzayt knows that you do not forsake this hunt out of cowardice, but out of duty."
Emmeline doesn't understand the words at first, her addled brain taking a few moments to adapt to the thickly accented speech before realizing that it is indeed the Common tongue being spoken. Her hands bound behind her her back, she eventually manages to wriggle her body around and get her legs under her, just kneeling for the moment as her vision slowly returns to her. It seems like she's been captured, so she doesn't make any noise, though she desperately wants to ask for water.
Usid finishes his little speech, spotting the shape moving beyond the pen's gate. He walks closer and laughs beneath his breath, "Lonely, soft thing? More coming soon, so don't fear for that. All will serve Yzzayt, or be made prey to Yzzayt's chosen."
Emmeline squints at the raptor as he approaches and stops moving, still staying quiet. She wants to be defiant, or to try to escape, but she's no hero, at least not in direct confrontations. She lowers her head and just nods to the speaker. "I'm hardly in a position to argue," she eventually says, her voice quiet but harsh from her parched state. "But I can hardly be much use if I'm dying of thirst..." she continues, trailing off.
Usid laughs, motioning to the guards nearby. One of them, a large, long necked reptile, unlocks the pen and raises a waterskin to Emm's mouth, pouring water rather carefully. Usid speaks to the other guard, "See, they are weak. Their strength lies only in the foundation of stone they built their walls upon. Break the foundation, shatter the wall, and they are nothing."
Emmeline drinks almost greedily, but checks herself to drink more carefully so that she doesn't choke and waste water or lose any more dignity than she had already. Being watered like livestock. How embarassing... but necessary. If she's going to get back to town, to Jennica... this is necessary for the moment. When she's drank all she can she pulls back and mutters a soft thank you to the guard with the waterskin before casting her eyes back to the dirt again.
Narrator: The long necked reptile lifts the waterskin back and steps back out of the pen, locking the door behind him once again.
Usid turns his attention back to Emmeline, "Already this one learns proper respect. No wonder Dyrvisse finds the Ignorant Ones so pleasing. They have no fire. No fight in them. Only the kindred outsider had that, all the more proof our greatness." He shakes his head. "Such pitiful game. Nzyai is a fool to worry so much. Don't worry soft thing, your hands will harden in time."
Emmeline feels a flush of embarassment go through her at Usid's words. No fight? She'll show him. And there are others? She looks around, finally noticing the other similarly-tied prisoners in the pen. Her carriage driver is there, still alive although his scalp is clotted with dried blood from what looks like a hard crack with a club. If there are more prisoners, then maybe they can work together, find a way to escape. Maybe. Hopefully. Her mind starts whirring with ideas as her her body just moves itself into a sitting position, pulling her knees up to her chest as she thinks.
Usid has already turned away, crossing his arms as he continues to go about checking everything. They'll fill that pen soon enough. He only hopes that someone proves to be more of a challenge then these softlings.